Spinal disorders such as degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, osteoporosis, spondylolisthesis, stenosis, scoliosis and other curvature abnormalities, kyphosis, tumor, and fracture may result from factors including trauma, disease and degenerative conditions caused by injury and aging. Spinal disorders typically result in symptoms including pain, nerve damage, and partial or complete loss of mobility.
Non-surgical treatments, such as medication, rehabilitation and exercise can be effective, however, may fail to relieve the symptoms associated with these disorders. Surgical treatment of these spinal disorders includes fusion, fixation, discectomy, laminectomy and implantable prosthetics. Cannulas may be employed during a surgical treatment to provide access and visualization of a surgical site. Such cannulas space apart and support tissue and/or other anatomical structures to expose anatomical structures adjacent the surgical site and/or provide a surgical pathway to the surgical site.
During certain procedures, patients may be conscious and, as a result, these patients can move, forcing their back muscles to contract. Such contractions can push a cannula dorsally, which can cause bleeding in a working zone and a need to push the cannula ventrally. As a surgeon manipulates a cannula, a hand is used to wag and hold the top of the cannula. However, the cannula may slip out of the position set by the surgeon if not held securely in place by hand. This disclosure describes an improvement over prior art technologies as it, among other things, provides a means to hold a cannula after it is wagged, thus freeing the surgeon's off hand, that would otherwise be required to hold the cannula in the position set by the surgeon.